Kids helping Kids is growing part of SOWMA’s work. Student volunteers of all ages bring their passion and talents to SOWMA to help those less fortunate. Kids Helping Kids fosters leadership skills and builds community service and connection. That’s exactly what Isabel (“Izzie”) Berkenblit decided to do as part of her Bat Mitzvah project.

Izzie decided to support School on Wheels’ students through what she named the “Izzie Project.” She combined her love for sewing with her passion for helping children and made custom-designed pillowcases for our students. She turned to her Girl Scout troop for help – and received donated material from friend Robin Salvas, pictured above. Izzie and her newly created team donated more than 200 pillowcases for children experiencing homelessness.

Catherine Duncan was honored at the New Year's Eve Patriots game as being the “volunteer of the year” by the New England Patriots and was presented a check for $5,000 to School on Wheels of Massachusetts by Robert Kraft. She was honored for her work tutoring with School on Wheels of Massachusetts.

Letter from Lindsay Opper to her mom, Cheryl Opper, founder and executive director,School on Wheels of MassachusettsNovember 16, 2017

In 9th grade, my mom brought in a new family member to live with us: School on Wheels of MA (SOWMA). After school, I would get off the bus and come home to backpack supplies dropped off on our front porch, a basement that looked like a CVS and various people gathered around our kitchen table. Many of nights I would walk downstairs to turn off the living room tv (located directly below my bedroom).

The living room was where my mom continued to work on grants & other important SOWMA materials late into the night. It become a nightly ritual for me to come downstairs and turn off Tom Bergeren’s booming voice as he announced the next Dancing With The Stars contestant eliminated. I then would clear the Lean Cuisine from the coffee table, remove my mom’s glasses from her sleeping face & set her laptop aside. Never once did my mom wake up the next day and complain about her massive workload or how tired she felt. Instead she would wake up re-energized. Ready to go out and be a voice for the kids.

As many of you have heard by now, I will be retiring next June as Executive Director of School on Wheels of Massachusetts. This was a very difficult decision for me to make, since School on Wheels has been a huge part of my "heart and soul" for the past 14 years.

It has been an honor and privilege to partner with you to serve our students and families. Our growth and students' success would not be possible without you. Thank you!!!

I notified our board over a year ago that I would be retiring in June 2018 so we could ensure a smooth and healthy transition for our organization. Our Board Chair, Chris Murphy, is leading the charge with the full support of our board members and key community stakeholders. After retiring, I plan on helping unaccompanied homeless youth have a safe place to live while pursuing their education.

Unaccompanied youth are young adults on their own without parent or guardian support. While School on Wheels serves these students in supporting their education, I want to focus my time on finding housing solutions for them on the South Shore. Right now we have students living in cars, on the streets, and in adult shelters because we have no other housing options available for them in our area. This is unacceptable and must change!!

School on Wheels will continue to expand to provide high quality tutoring and mentoring services for more students in grades K- college under a new leader, and with the help and support of our amazing staff and dedicated volunteers. We will also continue to prepare and deliver thousands of new customized backpacks to children in our state who need assistance. School on Wheels is not changing any of their services; in fact they are strengthening the quality of their trainings for volunteers, their academic services and resources, and infrastructure to launch a future expansion.

Please be assured, I will always wholeheartedly support the mission of School on Wheels as well as the children and families we serve. I hope I can count on your continued support for School on Wheels as we grow our programs to serve more students in our state. Together we can make a true impact in the lives of others! What's more important than helping a child feel important, safe and valued?

Hats off to our 2017 graduates!

Lorenz

Lorenz graduated with perfect attendance from Brockton High School despite overwhelming odds. With the help of his SOWMA tutors and his undeterred focus, he went on to Massasoit Community College, where he graduated with honors. Lorenz was nominated by SOWMA for the Bridgewater State University Scholar's Program. Last month he was presented with his diploma, and BSU's prestigious "Award for Student Excellence," given for outstanding scholastic and extra curricular activities. Read about Lorenz and School on Wheels here as Beverly Beckham captures his story - and SOWMA's - in a Boston Globe feature.

Sade

Four years ago Sade arrived at the Elms College School of Nursing, nervous but excited to begin her college career. Sade recalls walking into her dorm room with SOWMA founder and executive director Cheryl Opper, who was carrying dorm supplies and setting her up in a place she'd call home for the next four years. Diploma in hand, Sade's now studying for her nursing boards and looking forward to a career that blends her commitment to caring for others with her new-found scientific knowledge. Congrats to Sade!

LucnaliE

Lucnalie is the consummate role model for her younger sister, Lovely. A 2017 graduate of Massasoit Community College, Lucnalie this fall will continue her education at University of Massachusetts Amherst majoring in biology. Lucnalie and her siblings lost their mother at a young age and were raised in foster care. Despite hardships, Lucnalie is determined to blaze a trail for her siblings to lead them to a brighter future through education and hard work.

Nicole

Shortly after the Boston Marathon bombings, Nicole and her family found themselves giving up an affordable housing opportunity in order to accommodate a victim of the bombings. Faced with homelessness, Nicole reached out to SOWMA after seeing a Facebook post about educational support and asked for help. She was placed with a volunteer mentor, given customized school supplies, and taught the skills she needed to stay focused on her education. Today Nicole is the proud recipient of a college degree from Bridgewater State University. Read more about Nicole on NECN's feature here.

For three years Adie has set aside one evening a week to take her four children to SOWMA's tutoring site at the Crescent Credit Union Learning Center in Brockton. The Center opened its doors to School on Wheels in 2014 to accommodate families in transition. There, each of Adie's children settles in with a familiar face: a School on Wheels tutor ready to review the week's academic progress and assignments.